As we slip into December, will you set 2011 budgets by “adjusting” numbers from 2010? Take a little from this bucket, add a little to that bucket?

That’s never the optimal strategy for marketing/branding/advertising, but this year especially it’s unwise. First of all, 2010 was not a “normal” year any way you measure it. A steep recession and a sputtering-but-real recovery, combined with permanent changes in buyer decision-making behavior make for profound Problopportunities, a really ugly word we just invented.

Are you overspending on traditional media? Underspending on social media? (If you’re asking the question, the answer is probably yes.) Are you spending anything at all for Yellow Pages, or any other money-burning printed directory? (Some buckets should be emptied.) Is 2011 the year to get aggressive with more impactful advertising, website video, SEO backlinking, market research, PR or events? These items may have been $0 in your 2010 budget, and adding a few percent is still 0. Don’t tinker around the margins.